Patent Application
20090001335
The present invention relates generally to a combination vehicle barrier/fencing system useful in border security and facility security applications.
In recent years there has been a growing need to secure national land borders and various sensitive facilities, at least temporarily, from unauthorized human access and entry, especially by means of motor vehicles. There has been growing concern about securing national borders against illegal immigration, such as along the southern border of the United States, especially with the increased risk that some individuals attempting to illegally enter the country could be criminals or terrorists. Such a border security system would typically be permanent or at least semi-permanent.
In addition, because of the threat of domestic terrorism, it may periodically become necessary to temporarily secure certain facilities against unauthorized entry by individuals on foot or driving motor vehicles. Such facilities requiring at least temporary security against intrusion include government buildings, military installations, power plants, refineries, chemical plants, dams, bridges, stadiums and commercial buildings. Even outdoor areas where a large number of people are expected to congregate for a special occasion may require security from unauthorized intrusion.
Historically in the security barrier field, tradeoffs have been made based on the anticipated permanence or temporary nature of a barrier, the cost and time needed for erection of the barrier, and the desired strength and level of security of the barrier. For example, the construction of massive, permanent stone walls to protect borders and cities from old-fashioned military assaults dates back thousands of years. While highly effective as defenses, at least for a time, such walls were costly, required decades or even centuries to construct, and were completely immovable. At the opposite end of the scale, it is well known today in highway construction to place a series of relatively inexpensive and readily moveable (with proper equipment) individual concrete barrier units end-to-end to direct traffic around a construction site or to separate two lanes of traffic from one another. Such barriers can be erected relatively quickly and can be moved to a new job site when a road project is completed. These barrier units, however, are typically only three to four feet high, can be displaced by the direct impact of a motor vehicle, and clearly are not suitable for modern security barrier applications.
An effective modern land-based security barrier system must fulfill a number of specialized requirements. First, of course, such a system must be effective in preventing most, if not all, breeches by individuals on foot or in a motorized vehicle, e.g., a car or truck. Individuals on foot should not be able to scale and climb over the barrier, and motor vehicles should not be able to penetrate or displace the barrier. Second, it is highly desirable that such a system provide for good, unimpeded visibility from one side of the barrier to the other at ordinary eye levels so that security officials on one side of the barrier can readily visually monitor what is taking place on the other side of the barrier.
Another desirable feature of an effective security barrier system is that it be relatively quick and easy to erect at a given site. It is also highly desirable that the system be easily deconstructed such that it can be cost-effectively relocated to a different site. Another important feature of a land-based security barrier system is that it should be difficult if not impossible to tunnel under the barrier.
Several different types of fencing systems are currently in use as security barrier systems. Particularly popular are cable systems that provide at least some resistance to vehicle penetration but require relatively closely spaced concrete footings or “dead men” to anchor the cables. These types of systems are typically approved for preventing penetration by light motor vehicles traveling at relatively low speeds. Some of these systems have been tested for heavier vehicles traveling at speeds up to 50 miles per hour. In general, these systems have passed test requirements when vehicle impact was at the anchorage points, but they have experienced failure when the cables were struck directly. Furthermore, these types of systems may not be fully and easily portable (if concrete footings have to be moved or rebuilt) and provide little if any protection against scaling or tunneling.
Other similar systems may attempt to simplify the anchoring systems to reduce costs and facilitate construction/deconstruction. Soil anchors, for example, while less expensive and easier to put in place than concrete footings, vary widely in strength according to soil composition. Because soil composition varies greatly, even along a length of a border or around one perimeter, substantial soil testing would be required to design and install a reliable fence using only soil anchors.
Continuous concrete, stone block, or stone/steel wall systems can, of course, be constructed to have virtually any desirable combination of height/width so as to be essentially impenetrable by any ordinary motor vehicles, and even by most heavy machinery (e.g., bulldozers) or military vehicles (e.g., tanks). But, such constructions are prohibitively costly, may take months or years to construct, and certainly are not portable. Furthermore, this type of system can typically be scaled if not too high and, if built high enough to prevent or resist scaling, it obscures visibility at least at ordinary eye-level from one side to the other. Maintaining vigilance over activities occurring on the other side of such a high barrier wall would necessitate posting guards along the top of the wall (similar to the walled cities of Europe and the Great Wall of China), or installing video equipment, or some combination of the two.
These and other deficiencies in or limitations of the prior art approaches to security barriers are overcome in whole, or at least in part, by the redeployable barrier fence system of this invention.
Accordingly, a general object of the present invention is to provide a redeployable land-based barrier fence system suitable for modern border security and facility security applications.
Another general object of this invention is to provide a security barrier system resistant to penetration by individuals on foot or in moving motor vehicles.
Still another general object of this invention is to provide a reasonably portable security barrier system that is relatively easily assembled, disassembled, and transported to a different site.
A specific object of this invention is to provide a fence barrier system that requires no water for concrete. This is especially suited for remote areas where water is not easily available.
A specific object of this invention is to provide a security barrier system comprising an assembly of interconnected individual foundation barrier units or structures, each of a transportable size and/or design, that can be positioned side-by-side and used to support a combination post-and-rail framework and fencing system spanning the assembly of barrier units to form a continuous barrier or perimeter wall.
Another specific object of this invention is to provide a security barrier system comprising a fastening system for securing post members and fence panels to a side wall or tie wall of a foundation barrier unit.
Another specific object of this invention is to provide a fastening system for fastening expanded metal fence fabric respectively to the post and rail members of a post-and-rail framework constructed on an assembly of foundation barrier units.
Yet another specific object of this invention is to provide a security barrier system that affords vehicle impact resistance along a lower barrier portion thereof while also providing an upper barrier portion of sufficient steepness, height and absence of handholds or grip points substantially to prevent scaling of the upper portion.
Still another specific object of this invention is to provide a security barrier system comprising a vehicle-impact resistant lower barrier portion and a personnel-scaling resistant upper barrier portion, wherein the upper barrier portion also provides eye-level visual communication from one side of the barrier to the other.
Yet another specific object of this invention is to provide a security barrier system that is substantially resistant to tunneling.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and the illustrative drawings as discussed below.
The present invention is a redeployable security barrier system comprising an assembly of individual foundation barrier units or structures, which provide a vehicle-impact resistant foundation portion, and an upper, generally visually transparent, personnel-scaling resistant fence portion that spans the assembly of barrier units. The foundation barrier units in accordance with this invention preferably each comprise a vehicle barrier element that is a hollow, open-top box-like structure made of a suitably strong material (e.g., steel) which, when assembled and filled with earth, sand or a similar buffer material, will provide mass and anti-ram protection from vehicles. A foundation barrier unit can be prefabricated and transported to a site as an assembled unit or constructed on site from pre-cut wall panels and fastening elements.
A particularly preferred foundation portion for this invention is the vehicle barrier system commercially available from Infrastructure Defense Technologies of Belvidere, Ill., under the tradename Metalith™, although alternative structures having comparable vehicle-impact resistant properties may also be used. Such foundation portions are commercially available in many configurations and can be resized to meet specific use requirements.
The upper or fence portion of a barrier system in accordance with this invention preferably comprises a post-and-rail framework that serves as a fencing support system together with an expanded metal fence fabric that is secured to the post-and-rail framework to afford penetration and cutting resistance, an unscalable vertical surface, and open areas to provide visual transparency. The upper portion of the barrier system may comprise a standard post-and-rail system, each element of which is fabricated of high strength steel or comparable material to minimize weight and size.
Expanded metal fence fabric is commercially available in different grades depending on need. One such product is made from a solid sheet of HSLA steel that is simultaneously slit and stretched into a rigid diamond-shaped mesh design that allows for good visibility and light passage. Such expanded metal fencing can be formed with screen-like openings that are large enough to afford visibility but not large enough to provide handholds or toeholds in order to resist climbing without the use of special equipment. Expanded metal fabric is also more resistant to cutting than standard wire and chain link fencing. In a particularly preferred invention embodiment, an expanded metal fabric is attached to a combination post-and-rail support system using special fastening elements, a system commercially available from Alabama Metal Industries Corp. (AMICO) of Birmingham, Ala., under the tradename Secura Fence System™. This commercial system can be constructed as a new fence or to retrofit an existing fence, and it is available in medium and maximum security models.
In a completed barrier fence assembly according to this invention, the individual barrier units are connected to contiguous units on either side thereof (except for an end unit of a barrier wall which has a contiguous unit on only one side) at least along the upper portions by means of the connected rails and the expanded metal fencing which span adjacent barrier units. In some invention embodiments, a fastening device or system, such as a bolt system, may be used to secure adjacent foundation barrier units to one another.
The upper fence portion of the barrier system comprises a plurality of vertically extending post members each anchored to and extending upward from one of the barrier foundation units to about the desired height of the upper fence portion of the barrier wall. At least upper and lower laterally extending rail members extend between, and are secured to, the post members by any suitable fastening device or system, such as a bolt system. Overlapping panels of expanded metal fence, secured to one another along the juncture lines, and of appropriate height extend between the posts of the same or of contiguous barrier units and are secured to the assembled post-and-rail frame to create a continuous upper fence portion of the security barrier. The upper fence portion of the barrier wall can be formed with mesh having smaller diamonds and wider strands that is difficult to cut, climb or crawl under. A formidable barrier is thereby created offering strength, resistance and durability that provides delay, detection and deterrence of intruders, and also affords ample response time for security personnel.
The redeployable barrier fence system of this invention is especially well suited for use in remote areas where using concrete foundations is impractical. This system provides both effective vehicle crash resistance along its foundation portion, and a secure, transparent fence fabric upper portion for providing visual contact. This system does not require concrete for foundations. The Metalith™ foundation elements, for example, meet government crash ratings for anti-ram resistance. The barrier system of this invention is designed to be deployed quickly and installed quickly using locally-available materials. The upper fencing portion of this barrier system is designed to withstand wind loads up to 70 mph. The expanded metal fencing fabric provides a good level of transparency for visual contact and/or for allowing sensors to be placed within the fabric mesh.
Although in a preferred invention embodiment adjacent foundation units abut one another, and may optionally be fastened to one another along their respective abutting sides to enhance immobility during a vehicle impact, in an alternative embodiment, at least some of the foundation units may be spaced a small distance from adjacent units to allow for small species migration, water drainage, and so forth.
The barrier fence system of this invention is relatively easily redeployable. The system can be erected easily and also disassembled easily. The open-top, box-like foundation units can be filled with and emptied of sand, earth or other buffer material relatively quickly using small earth-moving equipment, such as a front-end loader, and, once emptied, can be disassembled for transport without damaging or destroying the component elements. The fence post and rail members may be standard lengths and are also easily assembled and disassembled. Similarly, the expanded metal fence fabric is also easily removed and transported for reassembly because no special cutting or sizing is required for the installation.
Furthermore, the barrier fence system of this invention is also resistant to tunneling. While a standard above-ground fence having a thickness less than one inch is relatively easy to tunnel under, the foundation units of this invention typically have a thickness (depth) of about five (5) feet, thereby requiring one to tunnel more than five feet to penetrate such a barrier. The expanded metal fabric of this invention is more resistant to cutting than standard wire or chain link, and it is commercially available in different grades to accommodate a particular type or level of threat. Firmly securing the edges of the expanded metal fabric further enhances its resistance to cutting.
The barrier fence system of this invention is also highly resistant to scaling without special equipment by minimizing or eliminating any useable handholds or toeholds. In a preferred embodiment, the total height of a fully assembled barrier system according to this invention is at least eleven (11) feet.
More specifically, this invention comprises the following embodiments:
1. A barrier fence system comprising a ground-level vehicle-resistant barrier portion made up of a plurality of adjacent foundation barrier units in combination with an above ground-level fence portion supported by a structural framework, held in place by being secured to and/or embedded in the barrier units.
2. A barrier fence system comprising in combination:
3. A barrier fence system according to paragraph 2 above wherein each foundation barrier unit comprises a hollow, open-top box-like structure of suitable size and strength to provide motorized vehicle impact resistance.
4. A barrier fence system according to paragraph 3 above wherein a foundation barrier unit is made of steel, concrete or a comparably strong material.
5. A barrier fence system according to paragraph 3 above wherein a foundation barrier unit is of a generally rectangular shape and comprises at least four steel side panels assembled and fastened to one another to form the outer walls of the box-like structure.
6. A barrier fence system according to paragraph 3 above further wherein the hollow interior portion of a foundation barrier unit is filled with soil, sand or a comparable buffer filler material.
7. A barrier fence system according to paragraph 3 above wherein a foundation barrier unit ranges from about 20 to 50 feet in length, about 3 to 10 feet in width, and about 3 to 8 feet in height.
8. A barrier fence system according to paragraph 7 above wherein the fencing extends about 5 to 15 feet above the tops of the foundation barrier units.
9. A barrier fence system according to paragraph 5 above further comprising one or more crosstie panels spaced at periodic intervals in the interior of a foundation barrier unit.
10. A barrier fence system according to paragraph 2 above wherein at least some of said post members are secured to side walls or to tie walls of a foundation barrier unit by a U-shaped fastener system.
11. A barrier fence system according to paragraph 2 above wherein the metal fence fabric is secured to at least some of the post support portions and to at least some of the rail members by a U-shaped fastener system.
12. A barrier fence system according to paragraph 10 above wherein said U-shaped fastener system comprises fastening bolts with heads that cannot be grabbed or turned from one side of the barrier fence system.
13. A barrier fence system according to paragraph 11 above wherein said U-shaped fastener system comprises fastening bolts with heads that cannot be grabbed or turned from one side of the barrier fence system.
14. A barrier fence system according to paragraph 2 above wherein the expanded metal fence fabric comprises expanded metal sheets with openings shaped and sized to provide visibility through the fence but without providing a hand-hold that would assist in scaling the fence.
15. A barrier fence system according to paragraph 14 above further wherein the surfaces of metal components of the barrier fence system are treated for corrosion protection.
16. A method of erected a redeployable barrier fence system comprising the sequential steps of:
17. The method according to paragraph 16 above wherein the front and back wall panels and the left-side and right-side wall panels are pre-cut steel panels of suitable sizes for forming a generally rectangular structure when assembled.
18. The method according to paragraph 16 above wherein a post foot portion of a post member extends to the bottom of a foundation barrier unit and becomes securely embedded in soil, sand or comparable buffer filler material when the unit is filled.
19. The method according to paragraph 16 above wherein at least some of the post members are secured to wall panels of the foundation barrier units by a U-shaped fastener system.
20. The method according to paragraph 16 above wherein the metal fence fabric is secured to at least some of the post support portions and to at least some of the rail members by a U-shaped fastener system.
21. The method according to paragraph 19 above wherein said U-shaped fastener system comprises fastening bolts with heads that cannot be grabbed or turned from at least the front or the back face of the wall structure.
22. The method according to paragraph 19 above wherein said U-shaped fastener system comprises fastening bolts with heads that cannot be grabbed or turned from one side of the barrier fence system.
23. The method according to paragraph 16 above further including the step of positioning crosstie wall panels inside one or more of the foundation barrier units as part of the assembly step of step (a), and wherein in step (c) post members are secured to at least some of those crosstie wall panels.
24. The method according to paragraph 16 above further comprising the step of disassembling the barrier fence system for redeployment to another location by the added steps of:
all of steps (a) through (k) being performed with little or no damage to the component parts of the assembly such that those component parts can be reused.
A redeployable barrier fence system 10 in accordance with this invention, as schematically illustrated in
In a preferred embodiment, the foundation structures 12 that comprise the lower or base portion of the security barrier are constructed or designed to be constructed in about 20 to 50-foot long sections (preferably about 30 to 40-foot long sections), each being about 3 to 10 feet wide (preferably about 5 feet wide) and about 3 to 8 feet high (preferably about 4 feet high) as schematically illustrated in
If the foundation structure 12 comprises pre-cut wall panels, e.g., 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d, for assembly on site, in a preferred embodiment the wall panels may be connected together with tie rods (not shown) for quick assembly and disassembly. In addition, crosstie panels (or tie walls) may be located every five feet or so in the interior of a foundation structure to add rigidity for the assembled structure and to provide an additional wall section that can be used to help support an adjacent post member. For example,
Once the foundation structures are assembled (if not pre-assembled), they are placed at a desired site more or less in alignment, typically with the short sides of one foundation structure abutting or in close proximity to the short sides of adjacent foundation structures to form a ground-level wall or barrier (see
After one or more of the foundation structures have been properly sited, and the post members have been secured to the walls of the foundation structures, as described below, the interiors of the foundation structures are filled with soil, sand or another barrier filler material, preferably with a material available immediately adjacent to, or in close proximity to, the structure. The soil or other barrier material used should preferably need only minor compaction. In this respect, dry sand is a particularly preferred barrier filler material.
The upper fence portion 14 of the security barrier system 10 of this invention comprises a post-and-rail support frame 18 in combination with the expanded metal mesh fencing 16. In one illustrative embodiment, the post members 24 and rail members 26 may be made from HS-83K steel, and such members are commercially available from Wheatland Tube. For example, the post members 24 may be 2½ inch HS-83K pipe, and the rail members 26 may be 2 inch HS-83K pipe.
The post members 24 are preferably secured to the outer walls or to the crosstie panels of the foundation structures 12 before those structures are filled with soil or sand. In a preferred embodiment, the post members 24 are fastened to the side walls or tie walls of a foundation structure using a U-shaped fastener system (as illustrated and described hereinafter) comprising U-shaped bolts, backer straps and associated hardware such as threaded nuts. This type of fastener system has been found to securely fasten the post members in place while minimizing any damage (e.g., crushing) of the crosstie panels, thus facilitating reuse of these components. In a preferred embodiment, the fastening bolts of the fastening system used in the structures of this invention have bolt heads that cannot be grabbed or turned from at least one side, e.g., the attack side, of the barrier wall.
At least two lines of rail members 26 are used for the post-and-rail flame that supports the expanded metal mesh fencing. A lower line 26a (as seen in
The expanded metal mesh 16 that serves as the barrier fence of the upper fence portion 14 of the security barrier system 10 of this invention may, in a representative embodiment, comprise expanded metal sheets that are 13 Gauge and 12 feet long by 7 feet, 6 inches wide with ½ inch openings, commercially available from AMICO. These metal sheets may be attached to the post-and-rail frame constructed above the tops of the foundation structures, as described above, without any cutting to form a continuous fence structure. The metal sheets are typically attached to the post-and-rail frame such that the 7 feet, 6 inch metal sheet width dimension runs vertically from the top of the foundation structures to the tops of the post members, and the 12 feet metal sheet length dimension runs horizontally. Based on these illustrative dimensions, the barrier fence system as shown in
At sheet end junction locations where one panel of metal sheet ends and another begins, it is preferred to overlap the two panels by about 6 inches and to fasten the overlapped ends together using a fence-end fastening system in accordance with this invention. In one embodiment, as schematically illustrated in
The expanded metal sheets are securely attached to the post and rail members at a plurality of locations as needed using a post/rail-to-fence fastening system in accordance with this invention. In one embodiment, as schematically illustrated in
The surfaces of the various metal components as used in this invention may be galvanized or otherwise treated for corrosion protection for use in climates or under conditions where metal corrosion would be expected to occur. Typically, no such metal treatment would be needed for use of this invention in the desert southwest of the United States. Although the redeployable barrier fence system of this invention was specifically designed for application along the southern border of the United States, the system and methods of this invention can readily by adapted for use along other borders or for other security applications as necessary without departing from the scope of this invention teaching.
In preferred embodiments of this invention, a U-shaped fastening system can be used for various fastening needs. Such a U-shaped fastening system can be used to secure the lower (foot) portions of the post members to a side wall or a tie wall of a foundation barrier unit. Such a U-shaped fastening system can also be advantageously used in securing the expanded metal mesh fence panels to the post and rail members.
Although this invention has been described by reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in this art that various changes and modifications may be made in the apparatus components, configuration of the components, and other invention details without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60934794 | Jun 2007 | US |
